“Stress” appears to be like this nagging but unavoidable shadow-friend that accompanies us everywhere. It is like that extra perception or sixth sense that tries to “weigh in” on everything we do, irrespective of whether we need that extra perception or not.
– John Milton
We know that being in the company of Stress is unpleasant to our mind, body and soul. Yet, we allow Stress to accompany us to all places and at all times.
Be it day or night, rain or shine, summer or winter, weekday or weekend, at work or on vacation – Stress is right by our side.
Have you ever wondered what happens to Stress when we fall asleep! Does Stress go to sleep right by our side?
Considering all the unpleasantness that Stress gives us, the main question is: How can we avoid Stress?
To answer this question let us first look at what Stress is.
So, what is Stress?
We live in a world of expectations.
Expectations, expectations everywhere – at work, at play, as a student, as a football coach, as a team captain, from the boss, from the employee, as a parent, as a child, etc. etc. The list is endless.
There is no place on earth without expectations.
On the other side you have the realities of life – The facts and figures you come across every moment, in all spheres of your life.
Expectations are sort of the “wish list” scenarios; while realities are the factual scenarios.
In Life, often there is a “gap” between these two scenarios.
It is the “emotion” that is created in our body, in response to this “gap”, that we call “Stress” – The “emotion” to the “should haves”.
So, if we are able to maneuver process that creates this “emotion”, to generate a positive or good “emotion”, we should be able to control our Stress. Right?
It may sound weird at first – Maneuver this process within us that creates the “emotion”?
But it is certainly something that has been tried, tested and proven over the ages – we all can learn and train ourselves to accomplish this.
Techniques like Meditation and Yoga are known to be very helpful to train your mind and body to reduce Stress.
Take it at your own pace.
Enjoy your journey to a conscious, stress-free, Healthy Life!
First and foremost – Let go! Relax! Trust in YourSelf.
Realize that you do not have to meet anybody else’s expectation, but yours.
Books
How Yoga Works – Genshe Michael Roach and Christie McNally
This is a fantastic book that will give an easy introduction to the essence of Yoga, through a fictional story. By way of the story, you get an insight into the various aspects of your life that can be benefited and healed through the practice of Yoga and how Yoga can be a beneficial tool for stress relief.
Light on Yoga: Yoga Dipika – B.K.S. Iyengar
This is an excellent book to walk you through the practice of Yoga. It is written by the B.K.S. Iyengar, the world’s leading Yoga guru for over 70 years. Each yogasana (yoga pose) is accompanied by one or more photographic illustration to show you the proper technique. The description of proper technique, the effects and importance of whole body mindfulness are well laid for even beginners to follow.
Websites
EkhartYoga: This website has several free yoga videos you can view. The videos are clear and easy to follow. It tells you the purpose of each pose and what areas of the body it targets. They also offer subscription based services.
MindBodyGreen: This website provides some simple and effective yoga poses to get you started.
Yogaglo: This website provides some good poses arranged alphabetically with the English and Sanskrit names of asanas (poses). It also provides good videos.
DoYogaWithMe: This site also provides information on a whole bunch of yogasanas. It also has downloadable videos of complete sessions.
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